The Russian I-16 can Dogfight? | World War II | P-47 Thunderbolt | Digital Combat Simulator | DCS |

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Check out the Merch Store: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/ American Murder Hornet Hoodie: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/listing/american-murder-hornet-bluepri?product=227 I'm A Cat Person Hoodie: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/listing/i-m-a-cat-person-f-14-tomcat?product=227 Big Thank you to "showem" for flying the p-47 for this video.

[@mladenivanzlatar5440]

I think the more accurate translation is Mule ! as in a WORKER... "Work Horse" rather than Donkey.

[@ivanpanon]

'Donkey' because it was working horse how u sad in west

[@skyhorseprice6591]

I had to pause the video just to say I cannot _even_ believe this dude is still flying!You were sitting right in his control zone & just _shredding_ that P-47. If literally looked like his airplane was being reduced to its component parts lol🤣🥲😂😅

[@fredvictor752]

I-16 is such a joy since Il-2 Shturmovik. With 20mm ShVAK cannons, is a little beast, specially in horizontal manouvers.

[@Gunni1972]

Could you maybe squeeze Longshot in an A-10, to mimic a bullet sponge for the donkey???

[@JW_Reviews]

Anyone else loving this WWII content? 😝

[@Rallysoldier]

Best content

[@accesspoint6917]

As a German: yes, yes I do

[@rezx793]

Yessir

[@AnrichMarais]

WW2 junkie oh yes

[@jameswilliams1085]

Its great isn't It!!!

[@anddino1560]

GS you shot the p47 so many times that you weighed down the plane with your bullets

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

Literally :D

[@roceye]

@@CakePrincessCelestia NAW- all the parts that came off made it a wash, lol

[@yuchungman]

Guide to fight a Donkey: Step 1:Drop your nose, use your energy advantage to...run away Step 2: Tell your friends at base you managed to escape from a Soviet super fighter for some miraculous reason

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

Remember when GS show how a AJS-37 should fight a AV-8B in a guns only fight? Yep, that's it. EXTEND.

[@kgjung2310]

Reminds me of an old episode of MASH when a soldier, who is embarrassed he got shot in the ass and is going home, wonders to his doctors, "When people ask me where I got shot, what am I going to tell them?" Doctor responds, "Just tell them the truth. Tell them you got shot in Korea."

[@Gunni1972]

Next day in the Newspaper: "Sovjets use UFO technology", Please donate for Military development via 555-Pentagon

[@driftertank]

Watching this, I kept muttering, "Dude, you're in a Jug, against an Ishak...drop the nose, extend and get on top again. You're not gonna out-turn him."

[@SparkyBob357]

@@driftertank I was thinking the same

[@Mike_Romeo]

Please I-16 vs Bf 109. In the early days of operation Barbarossa, the I-16 was the main enemy of the Luftwaffe

[@danmallery9142]

Good call. I was thinking that too.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

Earlier variants of both aircraft also fought throught the second half of the Spanish Civil War.

[@yuchungman]

Or I-16 vs Zero, which could be a more realistic fight over the skies of China

[@mothafraker]

Saw a guy do an IL2 campaign. He started as as a I-16 pilot. Became and Ace against Bf 109s before his squadron transitioned to Mig 3s

[@crudboy12]

Would not be a fair fight at all with the late war 109. Its at least several generations ahead of the I-16 (and it's contemporary version of the 109)

[@ivanbedlinskiy4182]

Nickname "Donkey" apparently comes from how "I-16" is pronounced in Russian. "I-shestnadtsat" sounds similar to "ishak" which means "donkey". It was informal name of course.

[@robleyusuf2566]

Donkey is a hard worker

[@Cg23sailor]

@@robleyusuf2566 and tempermental and mean.

[@lovehawks2814]

Kind of like how B-1 Lancer crews refer to their planes as the BONE.

[@Name-ps9fx]

@@lovehawks2814 Until the recon version comes along, the B1R

[@killersalmon4359]

I always thought the "Donkey" nickname came from the fact that donkeys are dangerous if you approach them from behind (because they will kick you in the face), and, apparently, the I-16 was the same way, because they could whip their nose around so fast.

[@eklhaft4531]

I'd expect the P47 to just extend, come back at 500km/h and clean you up.

[@jimpeterson2148]

That's what would happen if it were flown by a competent pilot, but the people who make these videos have no idea what they're doing

[@Axxel-720]

@@jimpeterson2148 are you sure about that buddy

[@jimpeterson2148]

@@Axxel-720 I'm sure you have no clue about air combat

[@Axxel-720]

@@jimpeterson2148 you think a content maker would upload himself waiting to get strafed by a plane, im sure that wouldnt be really fun to watch now would it

[@hawkstable8889]

@@jimpeterson2148 Yes, but that's not really a dogfight at that point

[@patriacro30l46]

Everyone who plays war thunder knows I-16 is a menace to dogfight

[@masterghost7352]

@growling sidewinder war thunder video when

[@sigm3d262]

Yeah but anyone who plays War thunder has also had their mind melted beyond recognition

[@thomasgarcia1995]

@@sigm3d262 hard to have fun other wise

[@patriacro30l46]

@@sigm3d262 maybe because gaijin fucked us up mentally, because adding more broken stuff is better than fixing old stuff

[@lee.as.in.l.e.e.7394]

Aka the rape plane

[@spacekraken666]

"Dogfighting an I-16 is like dogfighting a Shilka - no matter what you do, its 4 guns are always pointed at you."

[@rickb1973]

It must have been like being in a popcorn popper for that first P-47 pilot. Just....."Poppita plink plink BANG clank clank ping pop pop poppita pop clop clop pop poppita BANG!

[@driftertank]

I'm thinking more like "Tin shed in a hailstorm..."

[@lespaulguitarist92]

i'm surprised the pilot is still alive after that many hits into the cockpit.

[@fpsawesom123]

@@lespaulguitarist92 I was shocked too, the way he raked that 20mm across the canopy, he should have been mega dead.

[@haroldgodwinson832]

Yeah, you never get into a close quarters turning engagement with an I-16. Energy and speed are required to effectively kill them. Attack from above. Force them to burn energy in defensive turns. When they get slow, get them with high angle-off deflection shots.

[@RTPJu]

Right you are. You only turn fight agains an I-16 if you are in an early war Japanese or Italian fighter... even then it may be hard to outmaneuver a good pilot in the Donkey. Otherwise, the energy fighter pilot must do the patient hit and run (ou run and hit) game with, if you don't have an wingman, a lot of frontal passes. Cheers!

[@AbsoluteyAmerican]

He definitely sets up parameters for these fights to make interesting content. Otherwise anyone with a quarter brain cell would use their massive speed advantage to pull away and then force an engagement on their terms. Even look at the F22 vs p51. You are telling me the f22 pilot wasn’t smart enough when in the rate fight to light the afterburners straighten out to 500mph and go vertical until the p51 is stalled out. Love GS but we all have to know there are rules he makes for these fights.

[@jakeedmonds3625]

Growling: Can you dogfight? i-16: Hold my vodka comrade Growling

[@randomlyweird001]

daa

[@jerrodcorey25]

2:10 That is by far the most hits on an airplane I've ever seen in your videos you absolutely ate that thing for breakfast!!!!! WOW

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

Maybe the P-47 wasn't so much surprised at being attacked by the I-16 so much as being gunned by a supposed ally.

[@gimmeabreak4435]

Maybe it was a free for all? I don’t play DCS, so I wouldn’t know.

[@alastair9446]

@@viper2148 They probably just ban boom and zoom tactics. The P-47 advantage is speed and heavy firepower.

[@JC_WT]

@@alastair9446 Yeah from what I understand about the P-47 you would never use it this way like in the video. You'd want to take advantage of its high powered engine and put as much distance and alt between your target as you can, then turn around for an attack run. If you fail to destroy it, rinse and repeat until you do.

[@timonsolus]

Russia has no allies. Only servants and useful idiots.

[@himneeshchowdhary820]

2:19 p47: have mercy GS: нет пощады

[@rmvw]

Пощады не будет!

[@SCYTHE2525]

Those Jugs should have hit the deck and zoomed using flat roll from fire until safe distance to climb and reengage. They can outrun that thing on the straightaway

[@nonamesplease6288]

I've flown this thing. It is slow, it can't climb, and it's not very maneuverable at speed. At low energy it's very maneuverable. The BF 109s learned to use their speed and attitude advantage to chop these out of the sky while avoiding a dogfight.

[@SCYTHE2525]

@@nonamesplease6288 IRL or simulation? Probably some exist

[@kommandantkillcode]

@@SCYTHE2525 IRL

[@HomelessCows]

The Jug running away and climbing only works in a boom and zoom. Most other planes could outrun the P-47.

[@SCYTHE2525]

@@HomelessCows Not an Ishak I shouldn't think. Top speed was pretty slow.

[@WardenWolf]

The smart thing to do would have been to use his superior engine power to boom 'n zoom you repeatedly rather than getting into a turning fight with a more nimble opponent.

[@BenPortmanlewes]

Saw one at Duxtford with the clan. All went silent when it went into a flat spin and dropped bellow the treeline. We all expected a red mushroom but up it popped. Obviously part of the routine but not used in the actual display. I fell in love then!

[@crusader__aut7165]

I love this little plane, but it really needs a sound/texture update.

[@garnix5612]

The "I-16" was called "Donkey" because it was actually was a quite difficult aircraft to fly. It was very "snappy" (can't get the right word for it), and the gear had to be manually retracted. It was very unpopular for the Soviet Pilots at first, who demanded a re-design. Till the moment two soviet pilots got the order from the party to make a "promotion-tour" with the plane showing its qualities, which changed the view on the plane. I personally like it, as it clearly still has that legacy from the racing planes of the late twenties and early thirties.

[@Coluchiy84]

"И-16" - "И-шестнадцать" - "Ишачок". Это просто созвучно, незачем выдумывать лишнего. За строгий пилотаж его скорее назвали бы "гробом".

[@garnix5612]

@@klegdixal3529 I know what he said - I do understand russian - I just speak hardly russian, as I am half-bulgarian :) But great you translated it for the others! Thanks!

[@edwardcardozo8325]

As someone that has ride a donkey, yeah, make dense now xd

[@-tyt-258]

1. "Ishak" (Donkey) was produced from prononsiation in russian of "E-shesnudtsat' " (И-16). The begining of the prononsiation of "E-shesnudtsat" is close to "ishak". Cause the nikname of I-16 is only from close sounding, not from the nature of the plane. 2. I-16 is a "turn-n-burn" fighter. P-47 is a "boom-n-zoom" fighter. Flying the Thunder in I-16 style mean the helpless situation 3 2:21 - 2:22 - excellent moment!

[@evanmaulbetsch8147]

I got a feeling we’re going to get a donkey vs. mustang fight sometime in the near future.

[@Gunni1972]

Somewhere over Equestria, i presume?

[@coertlandtbauer4627]

@@Gunni1972 lol amazing and witty

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

@@Gunni1972 Made my day :D

[@gaz_3827]

The I-16 in real life is known by it's unrecoverable spins, it was recommended to bail out without thinking of countering the spin ! it's such a great machine anyways did it's job and even destroyed some ground assests with it's rockets, not forgetting the fact that this thing has the best visibility of all props in WW2 !

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

AFAIK DCS I-16 stall behavior is pretty well modelled.

[@Scorchluck]

The I-16 was well ahead of its time - it was built according to the scheme of modern 4-generation fighters: the fuselage, which creates lift and was aerodynamically unstable. Yes, just like F-18 and MiG-29

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

@@Scorchluck ;)

[@razorback20]

Unstable? Wait until you get a taste of an early LaGG-3.

[@oreste1964]

If it happens at low altitude you are in serious trouble but once I managed to get out of spin, using the rudder doesn't work and neither does trying to dive, nose up did! I advise against trying a maneuver like candle, it's a maneuver that works well in the BF 109 but it's just by trying that maneuver that I entered the uncontrollable spin.

[@ryanarnold4790]

The P47 is a high altitude fighter. Being on the deck is playing to other planes strength. Move the fight to flight level 270

[@liaaltman5686]

I believe I remember learning at one point that the I-16 was nicknamed the Donkey by Soviet pilots because the Russian pronunciation of I-16 sounds very similar to the word for donkey (ishak).

[@СергейИванов-э8б7ф]

16 is "shestnyadsyat" in russian pronunciation

[@liaaltman5686]

@@СергейИванов-э8б7ф Ah, okay. Do you think it could be a diminutive of the full pronunciation then?

[@СергейИванов-э8б7ф]

@@liaaltman5686 its a nickname. And somewhat correct representation of aircraft's appearence. And behaviour

[@alexeifrolov130]

Lia Altman you are correct, it is kind of modified diminutive. I-Sh(ak)(estnadtsyat). Short and easy to recognize. Nothing to do with appearance thou, but right on point with plane’s behavior. There are other cases of naming with similar nature: Petlyakov Pe-2 has been nicknamed “Peshka” (Pawn) - number 2 replaced with suffix “shka”.

[@НикЕфремов-ц3г]

@@СергейИванов-э8б7ф Well... I-16 was a pretty strict plane for rooke pilot. But first of all it's nickname about spelling cimilarity of first syllabyls - "eesh~". So pilots came up with short and funny "eeshak". The plane was strict but incredibly maneurable and pretty versatile. Of course it was somewhat obsolete at 1941 but still it could kick your ass if you show arrogance at it. i think it's nickname has nothing to do with it's performance.

[@TIEpilot918]

Mosquito: releases GS: "Today we're in the I-16" Just messing with you. Thanks for the content man.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Lmao Mosquito content coming soon I promise

[@Gunni1972]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Getting some hard wooden wonder here

[@BRAgamer]

LOL that pilot became ground beef, so many shots in the cockpit

[@AhnkoCheeOutdoors]

I would LOVE to see a dogfight between a Polikarpov I-16 vs Brewster Buffalo - Battle of the Flying Beer Barrels.

[@coertlandtbauer4627]

Hell yes

[@hippoace]

well the I16 would win in a dogfight....Buffalo should do hit n run attacks

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

3:11 GS: "Dude, what do you tell your friends if you get shot down by a donkey? 3:15 Dude: 5:30 This is basically very similar to a Zero: Beat it with your excess speed. Don't get into a rate fight or try climbing away, you'll lose that fight in a glimpse. This thing tops out at around 430kph on the deck which is just shy of 270mph. 5:51 Because it was rather sturdy (again, something you wouldn't expect!), but also stubborn as it was known for rather abrupt stalls / snap rolls (not a lot of warning, similar to the 190 or the 51), but easily recoverable by just letting the stick go.

[@freezer20cm64]

Cant wait to see how I-16 performs against F-22.

[@naveednawwaf]

No Vulcan or any other autocannons can scratch planes made of pure Stalinium.

[@miguelribeiro3103]

No chance for the f22

[@Coluchiy84]

В плотной свалке у F-22 шансов нет. Здесь в рамках боя не используют преимущество в скорости.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Am I wrong about this thing having 20mm cannons in the wings ? it felt like I was shooting 7.62 at this P-47 the entire time or is the thunderbolt just an absolute bullet sponge that tanked all of those 20mm hits? let me know, I honestly don't know shit about this aircraft lol I just found it in my modules and thought I'd give it another try.

[@Risen_Star]

P-47s were meant to take German 20(30?)mm cannons almost head on or any part of the fuselage and come home. They are BUILT to be rugged as hell.

[@4thzone697]

I'm pretty sure some models have the 20mm shVAKs, at least they do in war thunder.

[@Musabkesastayvlogs]

@@4thzone697 yes they did but most models only had either 2 7.62 in the nose or 2 in the nose and 2 in the wings

[@floydnimrod1826]

Probably hitting that things huge rear armor plate. I also heard that the thicc ducting for the turbocharger acted as additional protection, they even advertised it as more able to safely belly land because of it.

[@palker4]

The DCS I16 is type 24 so it has 20mm shvak cannons in the wing

[@Skyfighter64]

When I was playing War Thunder(before they added tanks and broke my ability to fly competently with a controller), The I-16 was the aircraft that got me through the low level Soviet tree. Flew pretty much like an A6M... Heck, one of my most entertaining times playing with the cannon armed version involved me being able to very quickly wreck half the fighters on the USA's side of the Korea map, including chunking the tail off an Airacobra, chasing down an XP-38, and finally running out of ammo for the cannons, plinking the elevators off the Thunderbolt with my 7.62 machine guns while he was pointed towards the ground. I also managed to get back to base and destroy a Spitfire a little bit later. All of the aircraft I brought down were because they fought on my terms, in other words, low and slow turning fight... Except for the Spit, I just got the drop on him from above. Prior to Germany getting 109's to the Nationalist forces in Spain, the Republican operated (Because of course, there were NO German or Soviet soldiers directly involved with the Spanish Civil War /end sarcasm) I-16 was the dominant fighter in the theatre. The 109, with superior altitude and speed performance had the ability to control how engagements would happen, and could escape from them at will, if they got into an unfavorable position.

[@DreAmeoba1]

It was also referred to as “la rata” (the rat), & in Finland they called it ‘the flying squirrel’…personally, I think it looks like a cigar butt with wings, they are surprisingly capable fighters, fun to fly, & as an opponent, super easy to underestimate….

[@riffler24]

Ah I see in this video GS is trying to recreate Robert S Johnson's story of being damaged and then getting jumped by a FW-190 who only had MG ammo left and just having to sit there in his P-47 as the FW just unloads all its ammo into him

[@NuclearFalcon146]

Then after he was still flying and the 190 was winchester, the 190 pulled up alongside him in formation, the pilot saluted, then went home.

[@markstott6689]

Maybe the mule might have been more appropriate seeing as it has a surprising kick?

[@jsauginas]

I watch a lot of videos and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plane take as many direct hits as that first encounter in this video

[@TexasWarbird]

Dang I wish it was me throwin it up against you and the donkey haha! The secret to betting this thing is top speed - I've played alot against it in IL2. You're supposed to dive gain a good amount of speed and distance - and turn around for head on passes or preferable continue to climb until your super chargers give you the advantage.

[@keithvallencourt7901]

Not a DCS fan, but this video caught my attention. I Wiki'd the Polikarpov I-16 - not the most authoritative source, I know, but good enough for now - and apparently it could outclimb and out-accelerate a Grumman F4F Wildcat/Martlet. It even had a better power-to- weight ratio than the Japanese Zero. British pilots claimed the Martlet could hold its own with the earlier Bf-109s, so I'm not entirely shocked that the I-16 fared well against a P-47 dumb enough to get into a low-speed turning fight with it..

[@bmt9998]

A+ stuff Growler, love the I-6 and would like to see more, we dig the WW2 action. Nicely flown man

[@dsw-fb8mp]

I think this is another example of where the big difference is the difference between the pilots more than the difference between the planes. Great piloting, Growling Sidewinder!!!

[@nathanmeyer2470]

I can hear that P47 pilot screaming "Donkey!!" Like Shrek when you start putting rounds on target!!!

[@thomasreimer1973]

I used to fly the "Air Warrior" online and I loved to fly the Val dive bomber against hot shot pilots in their fighters. The Val could turn on a dime and once I got on their six, I would just pepper them with twin .30 guns until I hit something vital. Great fun!

[@debbiestimac5175]

It is why you fly in an element, never alone. Two is one, one is none.

[@vczs]

What P-47 needs to do is keeping it damn fast and going for a zoom climb, once out of reach keep diving on the target and get back up to not get shot. Nose to nose, nose to tail it doesn't matter I-16 will kick the crap outta P-47 if it's a turn and burn. Damn funny video, thank you GS.

[@randomsomewhat-kinda-quasi1065]

I belive he was just waiting for you to run out of ammo at some point

[@codychild2665]

That was awesome. I can't believe the damage that P-47 can take. Great job on maintaining closure. Donkey just sat behind it and pounded it!

[@immikeurnot]

I-16 was the first plane I flew in VR (in IL-2.) An open cockpit was the right choice for that. They can turn, they're maneuverable as hell. As long as you can sucker your enemy into not keeping their energy up and speeding away, you can destroy them. Playing old IL-2 1946, I pissed my friends off constantly by picking stuff like the A5M. I'd dance it around while they tried the "boom" part, and tag them on the "zoom" bit. What really pissed someone off was when I was in an A5M and "jousted" with his Me-262 and won. Barrel roll around his cannon fire, get a single round into one of his engines and game over.

[@kiwihame]

Dude, that was epic! Watching the shell hits and bits come off planes never gets old. Hilarious battle. Well played! 😁

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

The I-16 went from being one of the most advanced fighters in the world to obsolete in like 2 years.

[@SnaketheJake87]

Here's your devastating clown car for the youtube algorithm.

[@tpochep]

"Donkey" is from "I" in its name."Ишак" how they call it ("Ishak") is Russian for "Donkey". Nice video.

[@AnrichMarais]

GS you can make any plane look good and do crazy things 😃

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

I try my best brother lol sometimes it’s lightening in a bottle like the i16

[@MEHoward]

The I-16 used to be my favorite plane back when I played War Thunder. It was a tiny little beast.

[@LexieAssassin]

If memory serves, the I-16 is mostly wood and canvas construction. What I am sure of, is it lacked a trim system whatsoever, which means flying it was a tiring affair.

[@A3ATOT]

My grandfather's favorite plane. He draw a picture of it and put it on the wall. Though he was flying many machines since 1938 until retirement he just loved the i-16, his fur helmet, boots and coat.

[@Neneset]

Reminds me of a D3A vs P-47N fight I had in Aces High many years ago. If the P-47 pilot doesn't use his advantages he can find himself shot down by a vastly inferior plane, even if it takes a ridiculous number of hits.

[@jexmatex]

Super fun video and a very nice plane, i remember a lot of fun flying against friends in BF-109k so sure of destroying the poor i-16 and they die almost every time, this i-16 can turn rate as hell, please do more on I-16 :)

[@kcmsterpce]

2:20 I never knew the "P" in P-47 stood for "Pin cushion"!

[@danmallery9142]

Actually, I think the P stands for "Piñata" lol

[@meanderingmarley3910]

Peppered

[@ShootBlueHelmets]

Back when I played IL2 avidly, there was also a biplane which was similar to this which was quite fun. There was another Russian plane in the game that reminded me of a racing modified FW190. I have to look it up, but it flew as well as anything else in the Sim, even Spitfires.

[@RegulationGamingHP]

Of course it can! I have a serious soft spot in my heart for the i-16. So innovative and such a cool aircraft in general. Especially the cannon variant

[@palehorseman9923]

Watching a P-47 get tickled to death by a Donkey was exactly what I needed to see today.

[@mikoyanfulcrum1]

DAMN!!!! You were tearing that Jug UP!!!!! Very enjoyable!!!!

[@DonzeJ]

That P-47 pilot doesnt seem to understand the P-47's strengths.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

OMG 2:09 to like 2:43 is just the most delicious satisfying perfect A/A gunnery I've seen on this channel!

[@harrybyaqussamprayuga1756]

"I'm going to make him overshoot" *I-16 with turning capability of a freaking humming bird* "No"

[@lovehawks2814]

If you thought the name "donkey" was diminutive, the Po-2 was nicknamed "Sewing Machines."

[@daniilzaikin1134]

also the "corn duster". a very funny name for a plane that'd give Germans nightmares

[@shadowcloaksimulations1015]

Look up “guard donkey”. Farmers use them to protect their livestock from predators. A lone donkey can shred a whole pack of wolves, or coyotes, and they are ruthless. No mercy! You’ll never look at them the same again.

[@vchism712]

Really enjoy the WWII vids...how about you switch planes when you thoroughly dominate one plane in a vid? I'd love to see you in the P-47 and see how you'd stack up against a good pilot in the donkey!

[@greybuckleton]

I cannot believe that P47 survived that absolute rain of fire!

[@AlanTheBest97]

Man I just love the 47 so much, my favourite plane, what other fighter could take a beating like that and not get obliterated?

[@andriys.1860]

I am in school, I have a fucking English benchmark, and instead of doing it I am watching this...

[@woiace]

The way you duke the Thunderbolt was so brutal, like how a wolverine would tear into the flesh of a grizzly.

[@loumencken9644]

Looked up some photos of the I-16, it kind of reminds me of the Gee Bee racers of the same era; it had a short and stubby profile that made the radial engine look enormously fat. But it had much more tail; the Gee Bees had no vertical stabilizer to speak of.

[@ingen130]

tell me the name of the melody, please 7:20

[@Gunni1972]

It's predecessor, the I-153 was a biplane with "theoretical" insane rate of fire for its time. But the guns tended to jam a lot. they even used these little biplanes in ww2

[@nomidubidabi]

An I-16 strafed my grandfather's infantry column while they were withdrawing from the collapsed Stalingrad front. As he was wounded earlier and lying in a horse drawn cart, he could only helplessly watch as the Rata's (that's how he called it) rounds were landing closer and closer. I'm very fortunate that they missed, otherwise I wouldn't exist.

[@railshot9]

This plane was a magnet for insulting nicknames. It was called a "Rat" during the Spanish Civil war. Also, in RL it was incredibly unforgiving and difficult to fly. Multiple pilots who flew it noted that after you mastered the I-16, any other plane is easy.

[@vorlonesque1830]

Back in IL2 this was one of my favorites.

[@sbg911]

The manoeuvrability of that thing feels like a 1930's Raptor... you just can't shake it. But I'd like to see how it would do against something with a bit more agility back then than a Jug, maybe Spit or Mustang? (DCS really needs a Zero or Hellcat soon 👍)

[@Paul_Sergeyev]

"Gadam nyet poshyady, i nyet spasenia gadam..." I have a crippling suspicion that I 16 flight model in this game is cursed. If it could climb so well it would have done much better against Bf 109s in WW2 and Spanish civil war. It was still a great and ingenious aircraft though. It was as aerodynamicly refined as possible with it's huge star shaped engine and had a lot of interesting design decisions. For example, it's elerons act as flaps because there is no place for regular flaps on its wings. Polikarpov, the designer of this and many other planes, truly was a genius.

[@gh8447]

OMG, that was brutal! 😂😂😂 I'd love to see it against other contemporary aircraft not as robust as the P-47 - I get the impression it'd shred!

[@Bronco-1776]

LOL..... yeah got shot down by one in DCS a little while back when I was testing out some WWII birds. But I already knew they could be quite dangerous from my War Thunder days. They have such a tight turn on them.

[@wookie7017]

That first kill was just brutal!!! Nice use of the slow-mo 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ddhale190]

It fought in the Spanish Civil War against the Condor Legion. One side referred to the I-16 as the Rat, the opposing force, the Donkey. Ugly as he'll but one peppy little performer!

[@grimfang4]

Excellent demonstration of "The Jug" in the first round.

[@robadzso]

With due respect, the Thunderbolt is not really a matching opponent. Also whoever flew it, didn't really do a great job regarding energy management and boom and zoom tactics. Good fight nonetheless.

[@haydenc2742]

Wow...it's like dog fighting the budweiser silver bullet...teeny little plane So cool...keep em coming!!!!

[@KekusMagnus]

the I-16 was designed like a 30s racing plane, it's almost as maneuverable as biplanes and has a crazy power/weight ratio for the time, meaning it is deadly in the vertical too. Dogfighting it with other ww2 aircraft is just not a good idea in general. It is very vulnerable to "boom n run" tactics on the other hand

[@debbiestimac5175]

The "Gee Bee" is what you are thinking of. Yellow and black livery like a bumblebee. Treacherous aircraft to fly and swapped ends into an unrecoverable spin just by looking at it sideways.

[@bigblue6917]

The I-16 reminded me of the motto for an Me-162 squadron. It was 'Only a Flea. But oh what a Flea.'

[@simescales]

I-16 had a great turn rate but was a lot slower than most of ww2 planes.

[@Eruthian]

A merge fight of a good turnfighter prop vs a good bnz prop isn`t really something that works fair. Unlike jets, props don`t have enough thrust to weight to pull something out of their sleeves if the fight starts in a disadvantagerous position. In short words, you`re just playing with your food there :-P If the P- 47 would be allowed to start the fight with 200m more alt, things already would look different^^

[@Riccardo_Silva]

Well, donkeys are strong, frugal, resilient, docile, very intelligent and hugely useful. They are very nice too!! Find out a better nick for the plane you're flying in! As italian and spanish peasants, who know that very well, so soviet peasants must have known too.

[@richardwolf8024]

He's much faster than you. Blow past, keep going. Get separation, turn around, and come back. Or, use the vertical. He's still faster than you. Come in from above and fast. Hell no, don't try to turn with you. I play Wings of the Motherland. Shot down a Bf-109F4 ace the other day, but was sandwiched between his buddies. One blasted me from below. I went down in pieces, failed to make my bail out roll.

[@MrJules2U]

This WWII content is fantastic, so much more visceral. I need MORE!

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I remember one Luftwaffe pilot saying he dove on one from behind and it turned around so fast, he ended up in a head on. Most were destroyed on the ground.

[@Kahltenberg]

In response to your question about why an I-16 was referred to as a “Donkey”: This is due to the pronunciation of the name in Russian. I-16 sounds like “ee-shesnatsat” in Russian, and as an abbreviation, it was called “eeshak” for quicker pronunciation, and “eeshak” means “Donkey” in Russian. The Russians found the name fitting for the somewhat silly but friendly appearance of the aircraft and kept “eeshak” as a nickname, even affectionately diminishing it to “eeshachok,” which means “A little donkey.”

[@Senorgusanos]

A THICC BOI that moves like a ballerina…my god

[@DRUBZTheBlazeOfArt]

Honestly the I-16 isn't all that different in performance to a Zero. I'm not surprised you can kick arse with it.

[@knightonwarbeck1969]

Growling Swiss - formerly known as Growling Sidewinder - is proud to announce he is getting into the cheese business. His first product line of cheeses features two strains (one American and one Russian) from the Swiss Cheese family: Growling Thunderbolt Swiss Cheese Growling Donkey Swiss Cheese Both cheese are served best with a bold, fruity, and peppery, Red (Army) Wine.

[@BRAgamer]

Loving the propeller duel vibe.

[@Elias_Stathoulopoulos]

We definitely need more I-16 gameplay that was unbelievably entertaining lol